Behind the Film: Safe - Worcester Film Festival

Introduction:

Safe is a short film drama that aims to highlight the importance of those who listen through all of life’s noise and silence, the power of trusting one’s instinct, the complexity of being trapped in a cycle of abuse, and the courage it takes to reach out. Shot entirely from a single fixed perspective, Safe is about being the person on the other end of the call. The one who hears the unspoken. The one who chooses to care, even when it might not be their place.

Inspiration:

We made Safe to emphasise the significance of catching the more inconspicuous, subtle signs of abuse that often go undetected, and not letting them slip through the cracks. Too often, abuse only becomes clearly detectable once it’s too late and it has already reached a high level of violence and danger. We set out to highlight the power of scrutinising the small signs and trusting one’s gut in knowing when something isn’t right.

The Process:

We were honoured to be awarded a short film grant from the Isle of Man Arts Council and shot Safe on the Isle of Man with a very minimal crew. We had all worked together before on several projects, supported further by Executive Producer Jeremy Theobald – producer and lead actor on Christopher Nolan’s debut film “Following” (1998).

Safe was shot almost like a play – running through each scene fully in every take, with voice actors present on set performing live with our lead (Kelsey Cooke). The support of the Arts Council funding meant we were able to make the film the way we wanted to, and not compromise on our vision and the authenticity we set out to bring to it.

What It Means to Be a Finalist:

Being selected as a finalist at Worcester Film Festival is such an incredible honour. The festival prioritises filmmakers and audiences, and we are absolutely thrilled to be able to share our film with the festival community.